Windows 10 build 14271 for PC: Everything you need to know

When Microsoft announced that new Windows 10 builds will be releasing on a faster pace, the company was serious. On February 24th, only a week after releasing build 14267, the software giant began to push Windows 10 build 14271 to the Fast ring of updates.

The new build of Windows 10 is not a significant update, but the company is including some fixes to improve the functionality of the operating system. In addition to the official changes, digging a little deeper, we also see that the software giant continues to introduce small fixes that eventually will be part of the next major update, which we currently know as Redstone.

Windows 10 build 14271

Settings app

In the new Redstone preview of Windows 10, we can see that Microsoft continues to move options that you would normally find in Control Panel to the Settings app.

System

Starting with build 14271, the Settings app includes a new Taskbar section on System. The new section adds the ability to enable and disable various aspect of your Taskbar, including "Lock the taskbar," "Auto-hide the taskbar", and "Use small taskbar buttons."

Also, you also have an option to replace the Command Prompt with PowerShell on the Power User menu -- when you use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut.

For multiple display configurations, the new Taskbar section on System includes the options to change the location and various button configurations for the taskbar as well.

These settings should look familiar, as these are the same settings, you will find in "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties", but now Microsoft is moving these options where they belong -- in the Settings app.

Accounts

In the Accounts section on Settings, Microsoft is now also breaking the "Your email and accounts" in two sections: Your info and Email & app accounts.

On build 14271, you will see a Your info section that it's exclusively the place to manage your account. The place, where you can change your picture account, switch to a local or Microsoft account, and more.

The new Email & app accounts section is now the place to store your different accounts for email, calendar, contacts, and work or school accounts.

Desktop

On the Windows 10 desktop, there are no new features, but the software giant is adding a few bug fixes and improvements.

Users will notice that the taskbar will no longer unexpectedly auto-hide or appear when apps are in full-screen mode.

In the Action Center, now you can right-click the app's entire header to see available options, instead only the app name or the close button "X". It's also now easier to dismiss all notifications from a specific app by making the header easier to click.

The only visual change users will find on the desktop is the new playback buttons icons that are shown on previews in media player apps (e.g., Groove), which now have been updated to support high-DPI displays.

Other subtle changes include Microsoft addressing an issue where borders of a window on apps would appear using a black color after the upgrade, and when the accent color doesn't automatically change when the slideshow feature is enabled.

The software giant fixed a problem that causes traditional desktop applications to disappear from the Start menu. Picture password received an update to work as expected when using fast user switching. And there is a fix to an issue that caused the "Hide notifications while presenting" setting to disappear after upgrading.

When I had downloaded edge on my laptop it was horrible specially on payment sites. Now after 3 months edge had been the best browser for me and works very well. Now I just need adblock or u block origin extension on edge and then I might uninstall Firefox and Maxthon as well.

i'd like to know how to upgrade my W10Pro build 10240 to newest one (non-insider program) i know that is something like 1511 (november one) but im not able to. Itried by creating media tool, by upgrading over software, by updating under update setting and nothing.. my settins are all fine.. and i still not able to update.. any clue about, please?!

Remote troubleshooting is not really comfortable on a comment section...I suggest you post a thread about your issue in a Windows 10 support forum here or elsewhere (though probably not the Microsoft Answers forum). I can't replicate it right now, but I'd assume the setup leaves behind a log file (ether in C:\$WINDOWS.~BT or C:\$WINDOWS.~WS) that could be analyzed.

I had this situation on a Windows 8.1 PC. After many hours, over the course of weeks, working with Microsoft on the issue (via their remote access to the system) it was determined that the OS install was bad and critical system file(s) were corrupt (which files, who knows.)

Microsoft overnighted a new OS DVD set to me. After a clean install with the new disks, the system acted normally.

Fun fun fun.

From a command prompt (as administrator) try these (individually):

sfc /scannow

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

If that does not cure your ills, a new clean install is in your future ...

Its nice that more settings now moved to new Settings app, I hope that virtually all important settings will be moved over there.
The new Taskbar thumbnail alos looks updated. Though the Action buttons on that screenshot only improves to support High DPI settings (which is a must), but forgot to even bother again to update the looks of the button and icons into wireframe.
Action Center really needs Snooze feature to make a notification(s) reminded in later time even it's been cleared up from Action Center.

I really hope that they continue to improve the UI and make everything finally consistent, even the context menu is still inconsistent down to pixel level, animations and even shadows (which is still from XP/2000-era). Also I hope they will implement at least an opening window animation for Universal/Modern apps which is still static.

"but forgot to even bother again to update the looks of the button and icons into wireframe.​"

They could easily be preliminary, think of the various iterations the File Explorer icons went through. There is still enough time for them to fix this and for us to provide feedback - I agree the buttons don't look finished and should feature the wireframe design.

I'll take back what I have said that the Taskbar thumbnail changed, I just realized that the screenshot use different option from "Always combine, hide labels" for Taskbar buttons, so thus the thumbnail layout is different from the default. So the Taskbar thumbnail layout didn't change at all.

Back to the Taskbar Action buttons, yeah I also realize that this might be just a preliminary changes just like before but I hope that it is a preliminary changes since I kinda don't trust them when it comes to UI as they have yet to make everything cohesive in Windows 10 completely.

Since that Redstone 1 release is not going to happen anytime soon, there is still a time to change those. I hope that Redstone is at least a start of complete UI cohesion in Windows 10.

There's opening window animation for Modern apps since TH2. But yeah, opening animation for WIn32 and Modern should be better. Actually, all animations. Right now, they are pretty simple. This is the one thing that OS X rocks.

Nope there aren't any opening animations at all for Modern/Universal apps even since TH2 (and with latest update). I think you mean in Tablet mode which is yeah, they finally did it since TH2 but on desktop mode, there aren't any animations at all when opening Modern/Universal apps, only closing which is really a head-scratching implementation why only closing only have one (half-attempt).

I also wish animations would be little bit more less too ordinary, but I rather them have all animations implemented in every element for now just like Windows Phone does (W10M too but it also equally less polish on animation choices).

Btw OS X as far as I know didn't have opening and closing animation either, only on dialog boxes?

I just wish there were a way to have color in the taskbar without also having it in the title bar. Grew to love the look all throughout the preview period and they rained on my parade shortly after launch. Haven't been able to settle on settings since.

Also Accounts section should really handles other accounts not just for email, like it used to be from Windows Phone. The Accounts should manage all accounts from apps and services too. Even Android does this.